Reaching for the sky
by HellPhoenix
Summary: Sora had never believed changing schools could cause much trouble. But that was until she laid eyes on Kai Hiwatari. Kai/OC, Brooklyn/Tala, a little Brooklyn/OC and Brooklyn/Max.
1. The new girl

"Hi! You must be the new girl." Sora turned around to face two girls with nothing more in common than night and day. One of them had shortcut chocolate brown hair that matched her eyes, and was dressed in a casual jean shorts and a yellow T-shirt. The other one's hair was dyed pink, and she was dressed in the same colour from top to toe.

"I'm Sora," she said, trying to smile. According to the looks on the girls' faces, she had succeeded.

"I'm Mariah," the pink one said, "and this is Hilary. We were asked to show you around, since you're new here and everything."

"Sure, thanks," Sora replied, right before she was dragged away by the two girls. They pulled her along every room and hallway in the entire school, and, instead of doing their jobs of telling her about school work, the teachers and the subjects, gave her a quick guide on the other students. Like who it was okay to befriend, who it was a shame to be seen with, and who was so far out of her league, she couldn't even reach them in her dreams.

"That blonde over there is Max Tate, the coolest of the cool," Hilary explained, pointing one single finger towards the grinning blonde.

"And the dumbest of the dumb," Mariah added, rolling her eyes.

Mariah and Hilary continued their tour on school ground, pointing towards students, telling about their entire lives. Sora couldn't help but wondering how these two angel girls could possibly know so much about everyone.

"Hey, Sora!" The three teenage girls turned around as they heard the voice coming from behind them. Max Tate parted from the group he was talking to, now walking towards Sora and the two weirdoes.

"You want me to give you a ride home today?" he asked as he was standing right in front of her, the usual grin on his childish face.

"Sure," Sora nodded. "Thanks."

Max went back to his friends, and the three girls kept walking, Mariah and Hilary staring at Sora like she had just grown an extra head.

"How the hell does Max Tate know your name?" the brunette finally managed to ask, still staring like a maniac. Sora shrugged her shoulders.

"I know him. His family adopted me a while ago."

---

He studied the raven haired girl as she walked the halls of the school. So this was the one? He threw a glance at his watch without noticing the time, then staring back at the girl. She had stopped walking now, and she was talking to someone. Another glance at his wristwatch told him that he was supposed to be in class in two minutes. He turned his back on the girl, and started walking.

---

"Ah, it's good that you could come, Sora," Miss Morgan said, smiling a perfect, white smile. "In case Hilary and Mariah forgot to tell you, I am Miss Morgan, your English and history teacher."

"They did tell me, actually," Sora replied, smiling sweetly.

"Listen up, everyone," Miss Morgan said to the uncaring students in the classroom. "This is Sora Tate, our new student. I hope you all welcome her, blah, blah, blah, you know the rest. Now, let's get started."

Sora smiled to herself as she found her seat in the back of the classroom. This teacher seemed fairly cool, at least compared to Mr. Knox, her math teacher, who was, truth to be told, more boring than a piece of paper.

Not even five minutes had passed when Sora felt a hand on her shoulder. As she turned around, the ginger sitting behind her gave her a folded note. She took it, turning back towards the blackboard and Miss Morgan's class.

_How do you know Max Tate? _the note said. Sora smiled as she scribbled down an answer on the other side of the little piece of paper.

_He's my adoptive brother._ In the corner of her eye, she could see the boy nodding to himself.

---

The girl was in his class. How could it be? She was younger than him. At least one year, maybe two. So what was she doing in his class?

---

Lunch came, at last. Sora had seated herself at an empty table in the cafeteria, slowly chewing on the salad she had bought.

"Sora-chan!"

Before she knew it, Mariah and Hilary were there.

"Hi," Mariah said. Sora just nodded, realizing that Hilary's attention was completely drawn to a boy coming their way.

"Hi, I'm Tyson," the boy smiled as he sat down next to Hilary, who instantly blushed deep red and started giggling.

"Tyson is Hilary's boyfriend," Mariah explained, and Sora nodded, pretending to be interested. The three other teenagers held a rather idiotic conversation, while Sora stared blindly into the air, eating her salad.

Another boy came, seating himself next to Mariah. It was explained that his name was Bryan, and they were dating. Like that wasn't totally obvious.

"That redhead over there is Tala Valkov," Tyson said, running a hand through his dyed navy blue hair. "He's the lone wolf of the school."

Sora kept nodding as further comments, descriptions and jokes about the other students were said. Like she cared who was the most popular of Max and Michael. Like she cared who was gay. Like she cared who smoked, or who was too poor to have their own car.

"In this place, being gay makes you a god," Hilary laughed. Sora nodded again.

_Someone, please save me from these idiots, _she thought. Just then a slightly familiar voice was heard.

"Sora!" It was the ginger from Miss Morgan's class that had called her name. Sora watched as he walked past the other teenagers, heading for her table.

"Hi," Sora smiled as the boy stood in front of her. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"It's Brooklyn," the ginger replied, smiling seductively. "Look, babe, I've got to run, but I was wondering if you needed a ride home today."

"Oh, Max is driving me. But thanks for asking."

"At least I'll know you got home safe." He twinkled. "Some other time then."

Sora stared after him for a long time. Brooklyn. A smirk played on her lips as she thought of the name. She liked it.

"Hello, Earth to Sora," Mariah said into her ear.

"Uh, what?" Sora mumbled, shaking her head, as if that would clear Brooklyn out of her mind for a while.

"How the heck do you know him?" Hilary asked. "You're fifteen, aren't you?" A quick nod from Sora. "Well, Brooklyn's _eighteen_! How the hell did you two…?"

"He's in my English class," Sora replied, staring blindly into the air again.

"What, did he have to take the class over again?" Bryan chuckled.

"No. I was moved up a few years." Then she stood up and walked out of the cafeteria, without a word to the people who called themselves her friends.


	2. Weird circumstances

Her attention was drawn towards the window. Sora smiled to herself as her eyes examined the teen that was lying in the now empty football field, his eyes closed and his arms stretched out to each side. He was dressed in lack jeans and a tight T-shirt in the same colour.

_Not very appropriate for a summer day_, Sora thought as she continued to watch him. There was something about this guy. His two-toned blue hair moving slightly with the soft wind, his pale skin almost glowing in the sunlight…

"Miss Tate!"

Sora blinked confused as she tore her gaze away from the window.

"Would you be kind enough to return from your little fairytale daydream?" Mr. Knox asked, his voice dripping with poison.

"I'll consider it," Sora smirked, and the class burst into laughter. Mr. Knox just shook his head and continued talking about algebra, seeing as he wasn't in to mood to send the entire class to the principal's office.

Sora gazed out of the window again. This time, her eyes narrowed in to a certain redhead standing under a tree, looking at the boy in the field. She remembered the redhead as Tala Valkov, one of the millions of people that Mariah and Hilary had pointed out.

When the bell rang to signalise that school was over for the day, Sora was the first one out of the classroom. She headed towards the gym, where she knew Max would be. One glance at his time table had been enough for her to remember all of his classes.

The blonde walked out of the locker room just as Sora got there.

"Hi," she said, and Max nodded in reply. His cheeks were still red from gym class.

"How did you know where I was?" he asked after a while. Sora shrugged her shoulders, feeling a little uneasy about telling him the truth.

"I asked around a little."

Once they came out in fresh air, Sora felt the sun burning against her ivory skin. She hated the sun. Really hated it. And still, she had decided to wear a shorts and a tank top, both of them black.

"That one's a hottie," Max stated, nodding his head towards another blonde boy whom Sora recognized from her French class.

"Doesn't he have a lower status than you?" she asked, meaning the school's popularity system.

"He won't if I date him," Max laughed. "You wait by the car, okay?"

Sora walked the few steps that was left towards Max' silver coloured sports car, while Max himself ran over to the blonde who was standing by his own car. She watched as the two boys talked and laughed, and, after a couple of minutes, Max wrote something on the other teen's arm.

"Looks like I've got myself a date tonight," he grinned as he came back to Sora and unlocked the car. Sora laughed lightly as she entered the passenger seat

"Isn't it a bit weird for you, you know, with school and everything?" Max asked after a few seconds with no other sound than the car driving down the road.

"No," Sora replied. "Why would it be?"

"I don't know, it's just… You're this genius kid, and you've been moved up so many times. I'm older than you, and you're still one class over me! Besides, there's barely any girls at school at all, and none in any of your classes." Max shook his head, giving Sora a weird look trough the corner of his eye.

"Well, I don't mind," the raven haired girl said. "I've always gotten along with boys a lot better than with girls."

Max laughed half-heartedly, blowing a kiss to his blonde date as they passed him. Sora couldn't help but to wonder if Max really was gay, or if he was pretending to be, just for the popularity.

Before she knew it, Max was turning the key in the switch, turning the car off. Sora looked up, and realized they were already in front of the huge, white house from the previous century.

"Hi, kids!" Max' dad greeted as they entered the front door. Max grinned back at his dark-haired dad, already telling him all about his date for the evening.

"His name's Miguel," he said enthusiastically as Sora started walking up to her room. Mr. Tate, now accompanied by his wife Judy, listened carefully as Max told them about the blonde half-Spanish eighteen-year-old.

Sora let out a sigh of relief when she could finally close her bedroom door. She really appreciated everything the Tates had done for her, it wasn't that. But she doubted she would ever feel like a real part of the family. How could she talk carelessly about school and dating, when the parents and brother she was talking to weren't her own? How could she be a part of a family that she wasn't related to?

Another sigh escaped her lips as she picked up her beloved guitar. The guitar her mom had given her for her 10th birthday.

_Talking won't fix it,_

_Crying won't help_

_I don't understand_

_How you can live with yourself_

_I don't belong here…_

She lingered after the last line.

_I really don't belong here_, she thought to herself, allowing one single tear to slide down her pale face. It made a sound almost impossible to hear, as it dripped from her chin and landed on the guitar. Her coal black Gibson SG guitar.

"Sora?" Max' voice ripped her out of the thoughts. Sora hastily wiped the trace of the one tear away, seating herself in another position on the bed.

"Yea?" she replied, and the door opened. Max had the usual childish grin on his face as he entered the room.

"Dinner's ready," the blonde explained quickly, pointing towards the door as if to illustrate his words. Sora nodded.

"Okay," she replied, following the older teen down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Dinner went fairly well, without any too awkward questions. Max' parents asked about the same thing he had done himself, whether or not she was okay with being in a class with a bunch of older guys. Sora answered as she had done earlier the same day. The rest of the conversation was all about the spoiled 17-year-old known as Max.


	3. Not like that

When Sora was about leave for school the next morning, she noticed a red car that was parked outside. One of the windows rolled down as she passed by it.

"Hey," Brooklyn smiled. "Want a ride?" Sora nodded, and giggled as the ginger got out of the car, and opened the door to the passenger seat for her.

"Thanks," she mumbled lightheaded as Brooklyn pulled out on the road. The older boy nodded in reply.

"No problem. It's not every day I get to drive a cute girl around." This made Sora blush wildly. She hoped Brooklyn hadn't noticed.

"You do realize I'm three years younger than you, right?"

Brooklyn hesitated for a moment.

"Of course. But…you don't act like that at all." His emerald green eyes locked with hers for a moment, before they turned back to the road. Sora blushed again as she realized that one of Brooklyn's hands was resting on her thigh.

"Brooklyn…"

"Sorry," he mumbled, pulling his hand away. The sparkling emeralds in his eyes gave her a quick apologetic glance, before once again turning back to the road as he parked the car in front of the brick building.

"We're here," he announced. Sora nodded as she opened the door and got out of the car. She and Brooklyn walked in silence towards the door. Brooklyn had his hand rested on the door, looking like he was trying to decide whether to push it open or not. He then turned towards Sora.

His hand was placed on the side of her face, slowly caressing it, while their eyes locked.

"Sorry," he said again, pulling his hand back. "It's just that…Oh, it's nothing, never mind." He pushed the door open, and started walking to Miss Morgan's classroom, for today's English class. The one class they had together.

It felt weird walking next to Brooklyn, after what had happened. His hand reached for hers once, but she pretended not to notice. Brooklyn was nice, but… He wasn't _that guy._

The one who had been lying in the middle of the football field, so carelessly skipping his classes.

Sora was relieved when Miss Morgan entered the classroom, and Brooklyn finally took his glance away from her.

Just as Miss Morgan opened her mouth to greet the class good morning, a voice that was most definitely not hers sounded from the door.

"Sorry I'm late."

Sora looked up from her note book, and was surprised to find that it was _him._

"You decided to show up today, eh?" Miss Morgan said coldly. "If you're going to stay, Kai, then sit down."

The dual haired boy, who was obviously called Kai, went across the classroom, and sat down in the empty seat next to Sora. He rolled his eyes at her, nodding towards the young teacher. Sora held back a laugh as she continued to look at him. At Kai. When she had seen him yesterday, she would never have imagined his eyes would have such a magnificent colour. His crimson orbs locked with her aqua eyes for a second, and her heart threatened to beat its way out of her chest.

"As you remember, we have read Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare," Miss Morgan started, and complete silence reigned over the class. "Now, you are all going to write your own version of a part of the story. Ten pages."

Everyone stared in shock. They obviously didn't have much experience with writing stories.

"And Sora, since you weren't here while we read it, you can work with Kai."

Sora nodded, grateful that she wouldn't have to do it all alone. But she had a feeling that she and Kai had been paired together just because Miss Morgan wanted to see Kai struggle with something. He most definitely hadn't read Romeo and Juliet, as the rest of the class. That was obvious.

* * *

Please review. Please, please, _please _with sugar and candy on top.

Okay, so I'm not completely sure about the pairings yet.. What do you guys think? KaixOC, BrooklynxOC, KaixBrooklyn, KaixTala, BrooklynxMax.. or other fun pairings. Tell me what you think ^-^


	4. Nothing's what it seems

Sora was glad when lunch finally came. Still light-headed from gym class, she found her way to the cafeteria.

Mariah, Hilary, Bryan and Tyson were all sitting by a table, talking eagerly in between each other. Max was sitting with his friends, which now included his new boyfriend, Miguel. Brooklyn was nowhere to be seen. And, in a corner, all by himself, was Kai.

Even though Sora was nowhere near to being religious, she begged to god that the four teenagers wouldn't notice her, as she passed the table where her so-called friends sat. Luckily, none of them did as much as throwing a glance in her direction.

"Hi," she smiled, seating herself down by Kai's table.

"What do you want?" was the reply. Sora was shocked. Just who did he think he was?

"We're working together on that Shakespeare-thing, remember?"

"Right. And you wanted to ask me when we can start working on it, right?" Kai's eyes locked with Sora's, and she nodded quickly.

"Well, that's really too bad for you," the dual haired teen continued. "I'm not writing that fucking thing."

Sora stared after him as he left. She didn't like this. She was more interested in him than what was healthy for her. And he acted like a complete jerk. And what was worse, the more of a non-caring idiot he acted, the more interested she became in him.

_I always want what I can't have, don't I?_

She sighed. What was there to do now? She certainly wasn't going to sit alone through the rest of the lunch.

She almost didn't believe what she was doing. They were stupid. Annoying. There was no way she wanted to hang out with them.

Then she was there.

"Can I sit with you guys?" Four heads turned towards her.

"Didn't you sit with Hiwatari earlier?" Bryan asked, though it was more of a statement than a real question.

"That's bottom of the food chain," Tyson said. Hilary nodded.

"We can't be seen with you if you're going to hang around with him."

Sora couldn't believe what she heard. She knew she had gotten instant popularity because of Max. She also knew that Mariah, Hilary, Bryan and Tyson were of a somewhat lower "status". But she had been hanging with them despite that. And despite the fact that she didn't really like them. And now they were ditching her because she had tried to talk to Kai?

"Fine," she mumbled, turning around with a quiet sigh. She had forgotten how shallow and mean people could be.

She suddenly stopped walking, realizing her feet had taken her to the football field. Without even thinking, she walked over to one of the trees that were planted just outside the field. She sighed gratefully, letting her back slide down the rough surface of the tree. She needed to be alone now.

She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes, not remembering to have closed them. A quick glance at the cell phone display told her that she had been sitting there for nearly an hour.

"He looks quite peaceful, lying there, doesn't he?"

Sora looked up, staring right into Tala Valkov's eyes. The red haired teen gave a short chuckle.

"Didn't notice me coming? You fell asleep, didn't you?"

Sora blushed slightly as she nodded. Embarrassing.

"I thought you didn't like talking to people," she muttered, which caused another chuckle to escape Tala's lips.

"You've been talking to those wannabe popular kids, I see," he grinned. "Frankly, I don't give a fuck about them. If you're okay with them using you, then that's your choice."

"What do you mean, using me?"

Tala gave her a weird look.

"Don't pretend you don't know. You're that Tate chick. They're all just using you to be popular. Popular kid's sister = instant popularity."

Sora sighed silently. She knew he was right. At least after what Hilary had said to her. But she didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to know how they really were. Despite that she couldn't stand people like them, she wanted to believe that they were nice. Even though she knew they weren't.

"Why do you care? It's not like you're one of the popular kids that everyone adore. How would you know?"

"Believe me, you don't want to know," Tala replied, before his gaze turned back to Kai who was lying in the grass.

"Is he always skipping class like this?" Sora wondered.

"Pretty much," was the answer. "Kai doesn't really like people. And people usually don't like him. Kind of like me."

The two teenagers said nothing for another while, as they both had their eyes on the mysterious Kai Hiwatari. Sora had no idea what it was about this guy that fascinated her so much. How could she fall like this for someone she didn't even know? He was a complete jerk, always skipping school, and talking to people like they were nothing more than bugs.

"Well, I've got to go," Tala announced. "Kai is gonna wake up soon, and he won't be happy to find that someone's been watching him."

Sora nodded, getting up from the ground.

"You wanna ditch this place? I really need a coffee right now."

"Sure," Sora replied, following Tala towards a coal black sports car that was parked by the road. Right by a sign that said it wasn't allowed to park there. Tala laughed as he saw the shocked expression on Sora's face.

"I thought you would know by now. I don't give a fuck about anything."

"Yeah, I can see that," Sora said, finding herself laughing as well.

She through a glance over her shoulder, at the school. Max was in there. Mariah, Hilary, Tyson and Bryan as well. And probably Brooklyn. She was going to be in big trouble when Max' parents found out she had skipped school to grab a coffee with Tala.

She shrugged her shoulders as she entered the passenger seat. What harm could it do? This placed sucked anyway, and at home, everything was about Max. No one would ever talk about her as long as the hyperactive blonde was there.

"First time?" Tala asked. Sora just nodded. The redhead smirked. "Then you have something to look forward to. I'm gonna give you a taste of freedom, babe."

* * *

Just so you know, I still love reviwers! ^-^ And I don't have to go to school for two days now, so I have lots of time to write. But after that.. Well.. Then I have exams, and I'm going to Sweden with my class. So I guess another update could take some time. Really sorry! But _please_ review! And I'll do my best to get another update before my exams. ^-^


	5. Nothing he can do

"Where were you yesterday?"

Sora spun around, holding her breath, as she heard the voice behind her. Max was standing in the doorway, giving her a weird glance.

"I didn't hear you coming," Sora muttered.

"That's not an answer to my question."

Sora shrugged her shoulders as she turned back towards the mirror to finish her make-up.

"Tala gave me a ride home. It's no big deal."

"You shouldn't hang out with him."

"Like I'm really gonna listen to that. I don't see why. He's cool."

"I'm serious, Sora!" Max sounded angry. "Stay away from him."

"Yeah, sure. You're just worried about that stupid reputation of yours."

Sora passed by him, walking along the hallway and into her bedroom to grab some money and a jacket. Max followed her.

"He's not good for you."

There was the sound of a car from outside, and Sora threw a glance out the window.

"What the fuck ever. Tala's here to pick me up. See you after school."

---

Tala couldn't believe how naive this girl was. She barely knew anything about him, and still she trusted him like they had known each other their entire lives. Not that it mattered to him. The more she trusted him, the better.

---

"Sora!" Brooklyn grinned widely as she entered the classroom. Tala stood in the doorway for a while, watching Sora as she went over to the ginger in the back of the classroom.

"I'll see you at lunch," he finally said. Sora turned her head to look at him.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Later."

---

He had seen them leave together the day before. Should he be worried about her? That girl, what was her name again? He knew better than anyone how Tala really was. This would be no different than all the other times. He didn't usually pick girls from school, though. Maybe it was just to get back at Max.

Kai sighed and shook the thoughts away. The girl would have to take care of herself. After all, no one had ever died from being Tala's newest toy.

---

Tala waved at her from across the hallway. Sora smiled as she started walking towards the redhead. However, before she could get there, Max stepped up in front of her, grabbing her shoulders so that she wouldn't just walk around him.

"Listen to me, Sora," he said intensely. "That guy has nothing good in mind. Just stay away from him."

"Hell no," Sora replied. "He's my friend! I won't just ditch him because you want to be popular."

"Is there a problem?" Tala asked, walking up to the two teenagers.

"Oh, it's nothing, really. Max is just being an idiot," Sora smiled.

"Well, then," the redhead said, smiling back. "Shall we go?"

"I'd go anywhere with you."

Tala smiled again, and they both turned their backs on Max, and started walking towards the door, side by side. As he opened the door for Sora, who started giggling madly, Tala turned his head to give Max an evil grin. There was nothing the poor guy could do.

* * *

Okay, so I know it's terribly short. I'm all busy studying for my exams at the time, but I wanted to get one more update before those stupid tests take up all my time. I probably won't be able to update for more than a week now. Sorry guys, but you'll just have to wait!

Anyway, please review. Cuz if you don't, I'm not making cupcakes :3


	6. Something's not right

Brooklyn let his emerald eyes gaze out of his bedroom window. He had looked for Sora during lunch earlier that day, but she was nowhere to be found. He remembered that Tala had said something about meeting her then. The redhead was most certainly expected to skip school the rest of the day, seeing as he was barely there anyway. But Brooklyn couldn't imagine that Sora would agree on leaving school property. She just wasn't that kind of person.

"Oh, well," he mumbled to himself, letting his gaze turn back to his homework. He sat like that for the rest of the evening, not once letting his mind wander.

---

At the same time, a coal black sports car stopped in front of a huge white house with beautifully decorated windowsills. The front door opened slightly, and a blonde female stepped into the fresh air.

"Sora!" she exclaimed, as she spotted the raved haired teen that had just stepped out of the car. "Sora, where have you been all day?"

"I was with a friend," the girl replied, and Judy's gaze turned towards the car, studying the teen behind the wheel. The redhead sitting there gave her a short smile, before talking to the two females through the open window.

"I'm sorry if you have been worried, Mrs. Tate," he said apologetically. "That was never my intention."

"It's okay, Tala," Judy smiled, seeming relieved that it was Tala who her adoptive daughter had been with. "You are free to come and visit Sora whenever you want. I miss having you around here."

"I appreciate that," Tala replied, smiling back. "I'll pick you up tomorrow, Sora."

---

"I don't like you hanging out with Tala."

Sora opened her eyes tiredly, and gave a long yawn. Her aqua eyes turned towards the blonde standing in the doorway. His face had an unusual serious look.

"Max…" she said, another yawn escaping her lips. "It's two in the morning. Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"Only if you promise to stay away from him."

"Go to hell," Sora groaned, turning over. She heard the blonde sighing behind her, but he didn't leave. In fact, his feet took him around the bed, so that he was once again face to face with his raven haired adoptive sister. Sora watched as he sat down on the bedside, still turned towards her. A hand was placed on the side of her face, the older teen slowly bending down over her, until their lips collided.

---

Max hadn't expected her to hit him. A sound of surprise escaped his lips as Sora's fist smashed into his face.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" she snarled, a beastly sound that made Max whimper in fright.

"It was just a kiss," he said, his voice shaking. Sora shook her head in what looked like disgust, pushing him away. The still surprised teenage boy stumbled backwards, falling down on the carpeted floor.

"Don't you get it?" he said, his voice more firm now. "That's the reason I don't like you with Tala. I want you for myself, but no, you have to walk off with Tala, leaving me behind all alone."

Sora raised her hand to throw something at him. Max used his arms to cover his azure eyes, together with the childish, freckled face. He then felt something hitting the top of his head. As he dared to let his guarding arms away from the face, he discovered a lip gloss lying on the floor. Sora had probably just taken what was closest to her.

"Leave me fucking alone, you bastard," the girl said, every single one of her words dripping with poison.

---

Kai knew something was wrong the second he saw Sora arrive in history class. The way she didn't pay attention in class was different than usual. She usually looked like it was too boring listening to the teacher, so she'd rather daydream or draw on her books. But today, she seemed to be involved in something else, something so deep that she didn't even notice the world around her.

His suspicions were confirmed when the teacher dismissed the class, and Sora stayed in her seat, staring emptily into the air.

Kai shook his head, having no idea why he was doing what he was about to do.

"Hey there," he said, waving a hand in front of Sora's face. As she didn't reply, he continued, "Tate!" His voice was stronger the second time, as he was getting annoyed by the girl that didn't react to anything.

"Huh? What?" Sora mumbled, her eyes turning upwards tiredly to meet with Kai's.

"Class is over," the dual haired teen muttered, before leaving. He could feel the girl staring at him as he walked out the door.

---

Sora blinked in confusion. Had Kai just.. talked to her? She almost didn't believe it. Kai was always acting like a complete jerk. What would it matter to him if she got detention for sleeping in class? Not that she had been asleep, but the teacher would certainly think so if he discovered her lazy eyes staring at nothing at all.

Kai.. She couldn't bring herself to thinking that he was the heartless idiot that he pretended to be. If he was, he wouldn't have told her that class was over. He wouldn't have been getting her out of trouble. Well, before she got into it, anyway.

"Hey, Sora!" It was Brooklyn's voice. Sora turned around to see him make his way through the crowded hallway, heading towards her.

"Haven't seen you in a while," he mumbled as he finally reached her.

"Yeah, well," Sora started, but didn't get further as she was pushed over, right into Brooklyn. As her face was buried in his chest, she unintentionally inhaled his scent. He smelled like coffee.

"I- I'm s- sorry," she stuttered as she stepped back, studying her shoe tips. Her face was burning. No way she could ever look Brooklyn in the eyes ever again.

"Sorry for what? It's not like it was your fault, or anything," Brooklyn said, a confused tone lingering in his voice. Sora let her eyes look up at him for a short second. And for the first time, the realized how beautiful the ginger really was.

"Anyway, what are you doing tonight?"

Sora tilted her head, eyes wide in surprise.

"Nothing. Why?"

"I was just thinking, maybe we could do something together. Go see a movie or something."

"Sure," Sora replied, a wide smile expanding on her face. Brooklyn smiled back.

"Great. I'll pick you up at 8, okay?"

* * *

I know, I know.. Crappy, short chapter. This stupid holiday is making me lazy. The positive thing is that I've finally planned the entire story. That was kinda hard to do without knowing which pairings to use xD So thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! I love you guys.

Please don't kill me for being so fucking lazy ._.


	7. Surprises

**A/n: **Before I start, I would like to say one thing. This chapter is dedicated to **"Crazy anime chick since 1993"**, for being so wonderful, and reviewing almost every chapter so far.

_Sora: Don't listen to her. She only wants attention._

_Nythera: Don't care about what she says. She's not real._

* * *

When Sora went out at 8 that evening, Brooklyn's silver coloured car was already parked outside. She could see his ginger hair, emerald eyes and flawless skin through the rolled down window, and found herself smiling, a familiar heat burning in her cheeks. A sudden dizziness arrived in her head as the ginger stepped out of the car.

"Hi," Brooklyn greeted, walking around the car to open the door for Sora.

"Hi," the raven haired girl replied, still with a foolish smile on her lips.

"You look beautiful."

Sora looked down her body. She was wearing a black miniskirt, striped black and white stockings that reached up to her thighs, and a band T-shirt. The make-up was the same as always; white facial powder, black eyeliner and eye shadow, with light shades of pink underneath her eyes. Was that Brooklyn's impression of beautiful?

"Thanks," she mumbled as she stepped through the car door that Brooklyn held open for her.

None of them said a word as Brooklyn started the car and drove out on the road. They both remained silent for most of the time.

It wasn't before they were almost there, when Sora broke the silence.

"Why.. do you like me?" she asked quietly. Brooklyn gave her a weird glance through the corner of his eye.

"Why shouldn't I?" he said, half-smiling.

"Because," Sora mumbled, her gaze turned out of the window, "no one ever likes me. I'm always the freak, the one that everyone make fun of. And the only reason anyone would like me now is.. because of Max."

The car suddenly pulled out to the side of the road. The key turned in the switch, the motor turned off.

"Look at me, Sora," Brooklyn demanded. "Look at me!" When her gaze remained staring out of the window, the ginger's hands grabbed the sides of her face firmly, turning her head to face him.

"I swear, Sora, I would never use you like that," he said, emerald orbs locking with Sora's own aqua eyes. "I would never sink so deep as to pretend I was in love with a girl, just to become more popular."

Sora's eyes glistened with both hope and happiness. "Do you.. really mean that?" she whispered.

"Of course I do," Brooklyn answered, his eyes still staring deeply into the clear ocean that was Sora's eyes.

Then the unavoidable happened. The raven haired teen leaned closer to the ginger, forcing her thin lips against his. It was sweet, soft and passionate. Sora looked at Brooklyn through half-closed eyelids, confused but pleased.

Neither of them had any idea of how long it had been when Brooklyn finally pulled away, followed by a disapproving groan from Sora.

"You know, we're gonna miss the movie," he mumbled, but Sora just shook her head, laughing.

"Why would I want to be anywhere else?" she muttered into the ginger's shirt. A smile played on Brooklyn's lips as he laid his arms around the girl, realizing she had somehow ended up on his lap during the kiss.

"So, I guess this means we're kinda together…" Brooklyn said, just as much to himself as to Sora.

"Yeah," the girl yawned. Brooklyn smiled again as he watched her fall asleep, her head rested on his chest.

---

"Hey." Kai didn't bother turning around. He would recognize that voice anywhere.

"What are you doing here?" The question lingered in the thick air in Kai's bedroom, remaining unanswered.

"What's up?" the redhead asked instead, walking up to the slate-haired teen.

"I was just about to dye my hair," Kai replied. "It grows too goddamn fast. You can almost see my original hair colour." He leaned his head down a little, pulling two navy-blue locks to each side, showing Tala what must have been almost an inch of dark brown hair, between his scalp and the navy-blue locks.

"That's annoying," Tala agreed. "I have to dye my hair twice a month." He shook his head. "Sometimes I don't know why I even bother."

Kai's face cracked up into a half-smile. "Care to help me?"

Tala answered by throwing a towel on Kai and slipping on the plastic gloves that laid on the bedside table, next to the hair dye.

"So, why aren't you hanging out with Tate tonight?" Kai asked as the other boy started to dispense the smelly liquid in his hair. Tala crinkled his nose, because of both the question and the smell.

"You know, I'll never get used to this smell," he muttered through clenched teeth. "As for why I'm not with Sora…" He let out a disapproving grunt. "She's on a date with that Brooklyn guy."

Kai's eyes widened. "Sora and Brooklyn?" He cursed himself for using her first name, silently begging that Tala hadn't noticed. "I thought she was falling for you."

"She was. And now she's not." Tala sighed annoyed. "That girl is way too impulsive."

Kai laughed bitterly. Maybe for once, Tala wouldn't get what he wanted. On the other hand, the girl was too annoying for her own good. It would be fun to see how she'd react.

"Should I take the other one at the same time?"

Kai turned his head to see Tala holding up the other bottle of hair dye, the lighter blue one.

"Yeah, sure," he replied. "It'll take less time that way."

---

A certain blonde was walking up to a small apartment in the middle of town. There was one single name printed on a sign, hanging on the front door. _Tala Ivanov._

Max was going to ask Tala to stay away from Sora. He hated the thought of.. he couldn't even bring himself to think it. He knew perfectly well what the reason was, but he still refused to admit it to himself.

Of course he didn't have any feelings for Sora. The kiss, the other night… It was the only way he could think of to keep her away from Tala. He realized now that it had been stupid to even think about it. Sora was different from other girls. She was certainly not the kind to fall completely for a guy just because he was popular. He sighed. If only he had thought of that before.

He stared at the door for a moment, before reaching his hand up to ring the doorbell.

No one opened. Tala wasn't at home. But.. that didn't make sense! Tala was always home. Always! He always opened the door and told Max to fuck off. He would always sit on the couch, reading a book and with hardcore music turned up on the highest level imaginable. He never left his apartment.

"Unless…" Max couldn't make himself think it, much less say it out loud.

With his back pressed against the door, he felt his legs comply under him, his trembling body sinking down on the cold floor.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there when someone spoke.

"Max? What are you doing?"

The blonde's teary eyes turned up to see Tala standing above him, soaking wet.

"Tala!" he said happily. "I thought you would never show up. I thought maybe you…" He cut himself off, before he could say anything he would regret afterwards.

"It's raining cats and dogs outside," the redhead muttered. "You should come inside until it clears up." His hand reached in his pocket for the key, and only seconds later he was using his foot to push Max away while unlocking and opening the door.

Max hastily got up from the floor and followed the older boy inside. He decided to settle down on the couch when Tala went into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, the redhead came out the bathroom door, only wearing a pair of black jeans. The slender teen was drying his blood coloured locks with a towel as red as the hair itself, careless to the fact that Max was watching his every move.

"I told you not to come here anymore," he said into the air. Max ignored it.

"Tala," he said, his voice nothing more than a whisper. "About what happened years ago, I'm really, really sorry."

"Whatever," he mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Look, I know you came to ask me to stay away from Sora. You keep saying you're sorry, and that you just want to protect her, but frankly…" he laid the towel around Max' neck, pulling the blonde closer to himself, so their faces were only inches apart, "you're just a pathetic loser who wants to fuck his sister."

Max' heart skip a beat. What..? So.. Sora must have told Tala about what happened last night. _No!_ Everything was ruined now. Everything…

The older boy threw a glance out of the window.

"It has almost stopped raining," he stated emptily. "I suggest you leave, before I decide to get violent."

Max nodded and started walking towards the door, knowing perfectly well how violent Tala could get, if he only wanted to. And by the looks of him at the moment, he really, really wanted to beat the shit out of the blonde.

He let his eyes admire the flawless pale skin of the redhead, before closing the door behind him and disappearing into the slight rain.

* * *

"It's raining cats and dogs" xD I love that expression.

So I finally mangaged another update. And it's my longest one yet! -proud- Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, for giving me the motivation to keep writing this story! -blows kisses-

And finally... **please review!** Or Tala _will _get violent.


	8. Mr NotSoPerfect

For once in her life, Sora felt completely happy. She had her wonderful boyfriend, Brooklyn, and her best friend, Tala. She had also convinced herself that "the Max incident" was just an accident, and she had almost – _almost _– stopped thinking about Kai. Life was as good as it could be.

Smiling, she sat down next to Tala in the cafeteria.

"Where's Brooklyn today?" the redhead asked without looking up. Sora laughed, rolling her eyes. Tala always asked the same question, whenever her boyfriend wasn't around her.

"I don't know. He called and said he was sick or something."

"Oh."

Sora and Tala had a weird friendship. They usually just sat around, without even talking to each other. The weirdest thing was that it didn't feel weird at all. She trusted Tala, and she trusted their friendship, and there really was no point in uttering tons of useless words, just to make the world believe that they were normal.

"How long have you guys been dating? A few months or something?"

Sora gave the redhead a weird glance. "It'll be four months tomorrow." She paused for a few minutes, while Tala kept chewing on whatever it was he was having for lunch. She didn't even care to check what it was. "It's unlike you to ask something like that," she muttered. Tala shrugged his shoulders.

"I was just wondering, you know," he said with his mouth full of food, then swallowing before he continued, "I'm your best friend, aren't I supposed to know stuff like that?"

"I guess."

They kept eating in silence.

"You know, I always thought Brooklyn was gay."

Sora shrugged her shoulders. "I guess you were wrong," she stated calmly. In reality though, she wasn't nearly as calm as she pretended to be. When she had first seen Brooklyn, she had had she same impression. There was simply no straight guy who would dress in white coats and wear golden necklaces. But she refused to admit it.

"I have to get to class. I'll see you later, okay?"

The redhead blinked. "Whatever. I'm skipping next class anyway. Science isn't really my thing, you know." There was a slight pause between them.

"I know. _Sayonara_," she said in Japanese, or rather called, seeing as she had nearly crossed the cafeteria already.

---

Brooklyn was lying on his bed at home. He wasn't sick at all. In fact, he had never been healthier.

He felt really bad for what he was doing to Sora. He really cared for her, just not in the same way she did for him. But he had to go on, pretending he loved her. He shook his head, sighing heavily. _Love her._ That was something he could never do.

The sound of his favourite song suddenly filled the room. He turned his head and stared at the vibrating cell phone for a few seconds, before picking it up and checking the display. It wasn't Sora. In other words, safe.

"Hello?" he said carefully.

"Hey," a male voice replied, making Brooklyn gasp for air. That voice… "Max Tate here. I suppose you know who I am, right Brooklyn?"

"Yeah," the ginger mumbled. "You mind telling me just what this is about?"

Max laughed lightly. "I've seen you around Sora a lot the past months, and you seem like a nice guy. And honestly, I think it would be a shame if I didn't even know my own sister's boyfriend. So I was wondering if maybe we could meet sometime."

"Sure," Brooklyn smiled. "Sounds cool."

"Great. So, tonight, then? At the park?"

"Yeah. I'll see you there."

"Cool. Be there around eight, okay?"

---

Kai shook his head as he watched Sora walking along the hallways, laughing, Tala always right by her side. He frowned. That girl trusted people way too easily, and it annoyed him. She had even taken the blame for not turning in the English project that they were supposed to do together. It was like she felt that she had to protect him. And if there was one thing he hated, it was being protected.

Still, why did he follow her around all the time? What was this feeling he had when he saw her with Tala or Brooklyn? Why was he so envious?

"You've got it bad," a familiar voice said from behind him. Kai spun around, to find a certain raven haired male grinning at him.

"Shut up, Ray," he mumbled, but Ray ignored him.

"You're even following her around everywhere. And to think you had me convinced you were gay." He still had the teasing grin glued to his face.

"Shut the fuck up," Kai said, more intensely this time, making Ray laugh at him.

"Whatever. You know, sometimes I miss the way you used to be. Before you went to this godforsaken school."

"Leave me alone, Ray. I've told you already, I don't like you, and I'm not gay."

"Oh yeah? Then how come you kissed me back then?"

"I've told you a thousand times, I was drunk," he groaned, sending Ray an intimidating glare. "Can you please go away now?"

The raven haired male shrugged his shoulders as he walked away. "If you don't do something soon, you're going to lose her," he shouted over his shoulder. "She's quite the popular girl."

Kai growled at the double meaning of Ray's words, before he turned away and walked towards the exit door. He really needed to be alone for a while.

* * *

I'm really sorry that my latest updates have been so short. But you know.. shcool _ Anyway, I promise the next update is going to be longer. And _a lot_ better.

This chapter is dedicated to my best friend, who, sadly isn't on FF. Anyway, she's a huge KaiRei fan, so that's why I put some slight KaiRei in it... Really, don't expect it to be important whatsoever in the future.

Well then, I guess there's only one thing left to say. _Please review! _-hands out Tala and Kai cupcakes to reviewers-


	9. Betrayal

Sora stared out at the quickly darkening sky. She silently cursed Max's parents for making her sit in her room doing homework all day. Like she didn't have anything better to do? She could have been out with Tala, or Brooklyn, or even Max and whoever he was hanging out with tonight. _Probably Miguel, _she thought to herself. Suddenly, the thought of hanging out with them didn't seem much tempting.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a highly familiar sound; her favorite song seeping softly into the silent room. She quickly grabbed her cell phone, answering without even checking the display.

"Hey," Tala's voice said. Oh, how tempted she was to agree to whatever it was he wanted to do, and just get out of this fucking place. "What's up?"

"Homework," she groaned in reply. "Those fucking people threatened to ground me if I put as much as a toe outside the house."

"I never liked Max's parents." Tala sounded almost angry as he uttered the words, and Sora was about to ask what they had done to make him dislike them so much. However, she never got the chance. "Look, I need to show you something," the redhead continued. "Can you meet me at the park?"

Sora grinned. "Sure. I'll be there in ten." Then she hung up.

She grabbed a jacket from her closet, and put on a pair of converse that she had hid under her bed for such occasions as these. Those fucking adults couldn't keep her locked inside the house. She was a teenager, for god's sake. Why did Max get to go out on school nights when she couldn't? The answer was pretty obvious, though. Max was the favorite. As always.

Getting out wasn't nearly as hard as Sora had thought. There was a porch right outside of her bedroom window, with a staircase leading down to the garden. She shook her head slightly as she climbed out of the window, heading for the stairs. Did Max's parents really think they could keep her inside just by telling her to stay, like a stupid dog?

---

"Brooklyn."

The ginger looked up from the nails that he had been busy studying for the past few minutes.

"Max!" he exclaimed, his heart skipping a beat. "I was afraid you wouldn't show up."

The blonde grinned, piercing Brooklyn with his deep blue eyes. "I always keep my promises."

Brooklyn nodded. "How's Miguel?" he asked silently, causing Max to frown.

"I don't want to hear you say his name," the blonde whispered softly. "I came here because I _don't _want to think about him. Tonight is all about you and me."

Brooklyn swallowed, shoving away the guilt that was creeping in from the corners of his mind. He finally had a chance to talk to Max Tate, one on one… He didn't want to let it slip away because of Sora.

---

By the time she reached the park, Sora was breathing heavily, and she couldn't recall having been this tired ever before. Running _really_ wasn't her thing.

She soon spotted Tala, standing by a tree. _Their _tree. The same place they always met when they were in the park.

"What's up?" she asked. No hello, no greeting. They never said hello to each other.

Tala hesitated for a couple of seconds. "Sora, I really, _really_, don't want you to get hurt. But you deserve to know the truth."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

The redhead sighed, letting his gaze turn to the left, focusing on something else. "I'm talking about _that_," he said, nodding in the same direction that he had his ice blue eyes focused.

The raven haired girl let her gaze follow Tala's, past the trees, past the benches, until she finally discovered the two teenage boys, sitting in the grass, hands entwined, not able to take their eyes of each other. With eyes wide open, she watched as her boyfriend leaned in, his lips meeting Max's in what seemed to be a soft and gentle kiss.

"Why?" she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why would he do this to me? I thought… I thought he loved me…"

"I'm sorry, babe," the redhead said softly, pulling Sora into a hug. "He was using you, just like everyone else. He just wanted to get to Max. Didn't you say it yourself, that the first thing he ever said to you was how you knew that blonde whore?"

Sora nodded shortly, still crying into Tala's shirt. "I know, I just… I didn't want to believe it. I really liked him…"

Tala sighed, giving the girl a sympathetic look. "I know." They stood there for a while, with their arms around each other, Sora sobbing into the soft, black fabric that covered Tala's chest.

"We should probably get you home," the redhead finally mumbled.

Sora shook her head – still crying – pulling away from the older boy. "I can't go back there," she whispered as she locked eyes with Tala. "That's _Max's _house. I'm not ready to go back there yet. Can't I-" she was cut off by a giant sob, forcing its way up her throat, "can't I stay at your place for tonight?"

Tala smiled sadly. "Of course you can, babe. I'm always here for you."

Sora tried to smile back, but looked more like she had just swallowed a lemon whole. Instead, she focused on forcing the tears back, letting Tala wipe away the traces that they had left on her cheeks.

"Come on, let's get out of here," the redhead said quietly, leading Sora along the road, until they reached the coal black car that was parked underneath a tree.

* * *

Ugh, that took a _long_ time! And I feel so lousy blaming it on all the school work. So I'm going to be honest; I am fully and completely to blame. Well, I guess that's what happens when I like some of my stories better than the others. But trust me, I'm going to work my hardest on finishing this story without messing it up. And if I don't manage to do that, you can sue me. Seriously.

Hmm.. Sorry about the chapter being so short and crappy, but I'll try to do better on the next one. _Promise!_

Well, I'll see you guys in the next chapther, then! Bye-byes!


	10. Love drunk

Tala's apartment was small, cold, dark and smelled of smoke. Sora liked it right away. As she sat down on the couch, Tala pulled out a box of cigarettes from his pocket. He threw a chaste glance at the girl.

"You want one?" he asked, earning a nod from Sora. The redhead sat down on the couch, giving the girl a cigarette. She instantly placed it between her lips, letting Tala light it, before lighting his own. Sora inhaled deeply, before forming her lips like an o, blowing three smoke rings, then exhaling the rest of the smoke in a slight fog before her face.

Tala smiled. "Damn. It took me more than a year to learn how to do that."

"What can I say? I'm talented," Sora replied with a slight-smile on her lips. She jumped slightly when the redhead put an arm around her shoulder.

"I sorry," he whispered. "I never wanted you to get hurt, but… I swear, I could've killed that bastard."

"It's okay, Tala." Sora's smile had vanished, and she was staring emptily into the still smoky air in front of her face. "It's not your fault. _Those two_ are the only ones to be blamed. You can't be blamed for wanting me to know the truth."

Tala's lips twisted into a sad smile, his hand giving Sora's shoulder a tight squeeze. "I'll protect you," he whispered. "Whatever happens, I'll definitely protect you."

---

Max hadn't seen Sora for days. His dad had called the police, but they still hadn't found her. _It's strange,_ he thought,_ that she disappeared after that night. Not to mention that Tala hasn't been to school since it happened._ He felt a hand giving his own a slight squeeze, and looked up at the ginger he had been dating for the past five days.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?" Brooklyn asked. The blonde just nodded, staring down at the carpeted floor in his bedroom. Then the older one placed a hand under his chin, lifting the freckled face to meet his own, before their lips once again united in a blissful kiss.

"I'm worried too," he said when they pulled away. "But I'm sure she'll be fine. Sora is a strong person, and she's able to take care of herself."

"At least we have time to think about how we're going to break the news to her," Max mumbled, earning a sad smile from his boyfriend.

"It's too bad… I really care about her," Brooklyn whispered. "I wish we could have remained friends after this. It's just too bad that she's going to hate me."

"What? You don't know that!" Max protested. There it was again. That cheerless smile, that heartbreaking look in his lover's emerald eyes. How it broke him to see the ginger like that.

"It's obvious, my precious Max. I used her. Pretended that I loved her, just so that I could get to you. You know Sora better than anyone. You know she'll never forgive me for this."

"I… know," Max whispered. Just then the door opened, and Max's mom entered the room.

"I just finished baking some cookies," the woman said quietly. "Do you boys want some?" To be quite honest, Max wasn't in the mood to be eating chocolate chip cookies with his mom and his boyfriend while his dad was out looking for Sora. But he didn't want to hurt his mom's feelings, so he accepted, and, accompanied by Brooklyn, followed the blonde woman downstairs.

They sat in silence for a while, the three of them, gathered around the kitchen table. Max and Brooklyn were holding hands over the table, while taking small bites of their cookies every once in a while.

"You know," Judy started, "even though this thing with Sora disappearing is terrible… I'm really glad you two found each other. And I am truly grateful that you are here to help Max through this difficult period, Brooklyn."

"That's… the least I can do," the ginger mumbled, blushing.

Max's mom smiled. "I know. But that doesn't mean you _have to_. I'm grateful because you want to support my son, not because it's the least you can do."

Brooklyn nodded. "I guess you're right. I would do _anything_ for Max," he said, looking lovingly at his boyfriend.

"Well, I better go help looking for Sora," Judy smiled as she got up from the chair. As she was about to walk out the door, she turned around, looking directly at Brooklyn. "Take care of my son for me, will you?"

Brooklyn smiled slightly, promising that he would. Judy nodded approvingly. Then the door closed behind her, and Max was left alone with Brooklyn, feeling sick at the thought of having to explain to Sora that he was dating the ginger.

---

Everything was going to hell. He was falling for the girl that he had planned on using, crushing, just to get his revenge. He was falling in love with the only one that he never wanted to be with.

Tala had always believed that he was gay. Now, however, he wasn't so sure anymore. Not when his heart started beating rapidly every time he saw Sora.

It hurt. It hurt that he could never manage to tell her. It hurt that she would never return his feelings. It hurt that the only thing on the girl's mind was Brooklyn. That ginger-haired whore of a deceiving fag.

_What's with this Tate-family?_ Tala thought. _First Max. Now Sora. That blonde left me heartbroken, and now his sister is going to do the same thing._

"Tala? Is something wrong?" a voice sounded from the bedroom. The teenage girl was soon standing in the doorway, looking worriedly at him with those blue eyes of hers.

"I'm fine," Tala assured her, avoiding to look into her eyes. "I was just thinking… maybe you should go home soon. I bet your family is worried."

"They're not my family," Sora hissed. "Besides, if I go back, I'm going to have to face Max. And… I can't do that, Tala. I just can't."

Tears started running down her cheeks, and Tala walked towards her, holding protectively around her fragile body. "It's going to be alright," he whispered into her ear. "Everything's going to be alright. Brooklyn doesn't deserve a girl like you. He never did."

_And neither do I_, his mind added.

Sora nodded. "You're right, Tala," she sobbed. "I shouldn't have taken that tone. I'm not… I'm not angry with you. I could never be. I just… I… You're the only one I have, Tala…"

The redhead kept whispering soothing words into the girl's ear, wiping her tears away. She was beautiful. Even with messy hair, no make-up and eyes that were red and swollen from crying, she was beautiful.

"It's okay," he mumbled. "You can stay as long as you want to…"

Sora sniffed loudly, her hands gripping the fabric in Tala's shirt. "I'm sorry for being such a bother," she muttered. "You must be tired of having me around."

_As if I could ever get tired of you_, a voice within Tala's mind whispered, and the sentence almost slipped past his lips. But he couldn't let Sora know how he felt about her. It would only make her feel more broken.

"It's fine," he said instead, letting go of the girl's body. He walked over to the couch, sitting down. "At least I have someone to talk to. Usually I just sit here alone and smoke. Gets kind of boring in the long run."

Sora laughed as she sat down next to him. "I believe you."

Tala avoided looking at Sora's face. "You want a drink?" he asked, getting up and walking over to a cupboard. He pulled out a bottle of whisky and two glasses, sending Sora a suggestive glance.

"Sure," the raven-haired girl replied, smiling slightly. Tala returned the smile as he filled the two glasses, giving one to Sora.

He poured the liquid down his throat in one swift movement before filling the glass again, consuming it in the same way.

"Why do you hate Max?" Sora asked suddenly, startling Tala. "And don't try to tell me that you don't. I've seen the poisonous glares you send him. What did he ever do to you?"

Tala sighed, turning to look at Sora. "It's kind of a long story," he started. "But don't worry, I'll tell you. It's not like we're in a lack of time here, anyway."

He glanced longingly at the bottle of whisky before looking back at Sora's face. "You see, Max and I used to date. It was a long time ago; I was fourteen and he was thirteen. For a while, I really thought he was the one. You know, the one that I was meant to be with, and that I was going to be with for the rest of my life." He laughed bitterly. "I suppose I was foolish. I should have known that it wouldn't last forever. Max was always the popular type, and I was the lone wolf. The only thing that allowed us to be together was that we went to different schools."

Sora was staring over Tala's shoulder. "But then he started high school, right?"

Tala nodded. "He started high school. Of course, he was instantly the most popular guy in his grade. And when his friends found out he was dating me, the lone wolf of the school, they advised him to get rid of me. I believe their exact words were, _He's holding you back, man! If he really loves you, he will know that what's best for you is to let him go._"

A slight smile played over Sora's lips. "Were you spying on him?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tala laughed. "I mean, he was already starting to act differently around me. He was constantly looking around, obviously afraid to be seen with me." He fought back a couple of tears that threatened to escape from his eyes. "Of course, he dumped me. All Max has ever wanted is to be popular. And he couldn't have both me and the popularity. So he chose popularity over me."

"I never thought Max would do such a thing," Sora mumbled, clutching her hands into fists. "That bastard."

"He's been quite the player," Tala said quietly. "Dated almost every guy at our school. But you know what, I could probably live with that. I could totally pull off not caring that he dumped me to be popular, and then trying to replace me with a popular guy." One single tear ran down his cheek, and Tala squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment. "But you know what the worst part is? He did all that, and he still claims to love me."

"I'm sorry, Tal," Sora said in a whispering voice. She placed a hand on his, squeezing it gently.

It was strange how that touch could break his heart at the same time as it was comforting him endlessly.

Two hours later, Tala was completely drunk, while Sora was taking a shower. Not that alcohol was the only thing he had been taking. One the floor next to the couch, there was a needle that had previously contained heroin.

Tala was drunk and high, and he had never felt better.

He had no idea how long it had been when Sora entered the room, wearing one of Tala's T-shirts and her own black jeans. Her hair was still wet from the shower, so Tala figured not too much time could have passed.

"Stupid junkie," she muttered, laughing half-heartedly as she looked at the form that was sitting on the couch. "You could have told me you were going to mess up your brain. I would've joined you."

Tala shook his head. "Nah. I wouldn't want that pretty face of yours to get addicted to drugs."

Sora laughed at this. "Why?" she questioned. "Your pretty face did it, and it seems to be just fine."

"Believe me, my 'pretty face' is anything but fine," Tala snorted. "Unless fantasizing about fucking you is fine, that is."

The raven-haired girl frowned. "Seriously, Tal, now you're just being stupid."

"Not really." Tala rubbed the back of his neck flaccidly. "I'm just being honest for the first time."

Sora slumped down on the couch. "Really?" she muttered, a disbelieving tone lacing her beautiful voice. "I thought you were gay."

Tala chuckled, throwing his head back over the couch. "So did I," he said, grinning. "So how about it?"

"How about what?" Sora replied tonelessly.

"Are you going to let me fuck you or what?"

Sora stood up, shaking her head lightly. A short laugh slipped past her lips. "No," she said softly, kissing the top of Tala's head.

---

There was no use in denying it. He felt lonely without the occasional glances from Sora. Even though it never meant anything, something within Kai felt cold and lifeless without having seen those bright blue eyes for so long.

_Am I really falling in love with her?_ he thought to himself, a frown forming on his forehead.

Maybe he was. Maybe, for the first time, Kai Hiwatari was starting to open up to someone, even if she didn't know it.

But there was no use anyway. She was Tala's toy now, and even if she did get out of it alive… she wouldn't be trusting anyone anytime soon.

Tala wanted his revenge over Max, Kai understood that. The blonde was a bastard and a whore, and he deserved everything that was coming his way. But why did Sora have to be pulled into it?

---

Sora walked into the bedroom, lying down on the bed. What had gotten into Tala? Was it just the heroin, or had he actually told the truth?

The second option didn't make any sense, though. Tala was gay. People didn't just switch sexuality like that. He could possibly be bi-sexual. But how did that explain the fact that he had never been in love with a girl before?

"Oh, come on, babe!" Tala's pleading voice sounded from the living room. "Don't you think I deserve this? Just think about everything that I've done for you!"

The Russian's slender frame appeared in the doorway, leaning against the wall. The heroin didn't exactly make him the most coordinated person in the world.

"I am thinking of it," Sora muttered. "And if I have sex with you, it's going to tear all of that down! Why don't you just go out and find some random guy at a gay bar?"

"I don't want some random guy," Tala said firmly, stumbling over to the bed. "I want you."

Sora was really getting annoyed by now, and when Tala leaned over her, pinning her down, that didn't make it any better. "Well, I don't want _you_!" she hissed. "We're supposed to be friends, Tala. Friends don't do this kind of thing."

"You know," Tala mumbled emptily, digging his fingernails into Sora's shoulders, "if you don't give me what I want… I could just take it."

"Now, that's definitely the heroin talking," Sora ascertained.

Tala laughed; a horrible, cold and malicious laughter. "I really don't care," he whispered into Sora's ear, licking her earlobe sensually. "I want you… just this one time." He moved his lips down to caress the girl's neck, and she had a silent fight with herself to keep from moaning.

"Stop it," she demanded, but she was ignored. Tala kept kissing and licking her neck, his hands sliding under her T-shirt.

"I don't want to! Tala, please," she begged. When Tala still didn't react to her voice, she started squirming around, desperate to get out of this grip.

Sora was scared. She was terrified of what was going to happen. Of course, she had thought about having sex before. But not with Tala. Not her best – no, her only – friend. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Tala looked up at her face, a terrifying look in his aqua eyes. He pulled something out of the top drawer in the bedside table, and it wasn't until it was right in front of her face that Sora realized it was a knife.

"Please don't make me use this," he whispered, holding the sharp blade to her throat demonstratively. "After all, what I want isn't so bad. You'll enjoy it too."

"I thought we were friends," Sora cried, but she didn't struggle. He could she, when Tala held a knife to her throat?

"We are," Tala replied. "And that's why you are going to do this for me. Consider it a favor." He smirked as he started undressing both of them, always keeping Sora effectively pinned down with the knife. Sora didn't fight. She wasn't sure if Tala would really kill her, but she was sure that whatever he was capable of doing would be utterly painful.

Who was this person? What had happened to the Tala that joked, laughed and took care of her? Where was her best friend?

But she knew that at this moment, the boy she knew was too far gone for her to be able to reach him. He was drowned in the influence by alcohol and drugs, and the Tala that now came to the surface would do anything to get what he wanted.

Sora knew what she had to do.

Now only in her underwear, Sora felt a chill running down her spine as Tala's hand ran over her body, feeling every line and curve.

A few quick moves, and she was completely naked.

She was desperate and terrified, but she didn't move as much as a finger.

It seemed to calm Tala down that the girl didn't struggle. His hand loosened slightly around the knife.

_That,_ Sora thought, _is the biggest mistake he ever made._

Before Tala even had the chance to react, Sora had managed to bend the knife out of his grip.

She missed the first time; the knife barely stroke the redhead's arm. The second time, it stabbed him in the shoulder. And the third time. And the fourth time.

There was no mistaking the shocked expression on Tala's face.

"I'm so sorry, Tala," Sora cried as she once again buried the weapon in Tala's shoulder. Crimson blood dripped down on her, and from the shivering body over her, Sora realized that Tala wouldn't be able to keep himself up for much longer.

She pulled the knife out of his body, quickly crawling off the bed. She hastily pulled on her clothes, watching as Tala's body collapsed on the bed, crimson blood staining the sheets.

She picked up Tala's cell phone from the bedside table, calling the 911, quickly telling the person that a boy had been stabbed, then following up with the address. She hung up before the person on the other end had the chance to ask any questions.

She gave Tala's body a swift glance. There was no telling if he was dead or alive.

Then she ran.

* * *

Oh my god, am I actually updating this? Sure it's not a dream? Lol, well I've actually been working on this chapter for a while. It's been killing me, really. I had no idea how to make Tala such a bastard, since he suddenly ended up caring about Sora o.O Anyway, I hope that it turned out okay. It was the best I could do, at least.

To all the Tala fans out there (including me); don't worry! Tala's not dead. As if I'd have the heart to kill one of my favourite characters. And he's going to be off the drugs for the rest of the story, just to make him a little bit nicer. And he will have his happy ending too, just like Sora and Maxie.

And, of course, _please review!_


	11. Diamond on a landmine

**A/n: **I admit it, I have officially lost control of this story. Sorry to everyone who actually liked it. I'm really, really sorry. Anyway, I'm going to try to finish this in the best way that I can. And hopefully, sometime in the future, I'll rewrite the whole thing. Fix it. Anyway, I hope that this chapter doesn't suck too much! Enjoy.

* * *

Kai sat on the couch, staring emptily out into the air. Living all alone was boring as hell. Then again, _not_ living alone would be _annoying_ as hell. People in general had a tendency to be bothersome, and Kai knew perfectly well that there was a reason why he always kept to himself; a reason that went beyond not being popular.

When his grandfather – his only living relative – had passed away years ago, Kai had inherited his mansion, and his entire fortune. No one had dared to go against him when he refused to go to an orphanage; even though Kai had been nothing but a child, he had always seemed somewhat intimidating. So he had been left to live in his mansion and raise himself, and he had enjoyed being on his own, without his grandfather's strict rules.

But now, for the first time in six years, he felt as if something was missing.

He shook the thoughts away, and was about to reach for the remote control for the TV when the doorbell rang. With a loud sigh, he got up and went to the entrance hall to answer the door.

As clichéd as it might sound, Kai felt his heart flutter inside his chest as he looked at the girl in his doorway. "Come in," he said quietly, careful not to let any of his thoughts show on his face. The girl took a step forwards, staring emptily in front of her.

Kai let his crimson eyes study Sora as he closed and locked the door behind them. Her hair was messy, her eyes were red from crying, and her t-shirt was stained with something that looked like blood. Her face was frozen in an empty mask, though tears were still glistening on her cheeks.

Then he noticed she was shivering.

"Let's clean you up."

There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask her. But he didn't. At the state she was in now, he doubted Sora would be able to tell him much. Besides, he had a feeling that whatever she might explain was something that he wouldn't want to hear.

"This way," he said, leading her into the bathroom. He started filling the bathtub with warm water, his eyes still lingering on Sora. "Wait here, I'll get you some clean clothes.

Sora nodded. Kai went straight to his bedroom, pulling a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt out of the closet. Hopefully, they'd fit her.

When he returned to the bathroom, Sora had already undressed and stepped into the hot water. It had a light red colour, due to the blood. "Sorry," he mumbled, trying his best not to look at the raven-haired girl. He quickly put the clothes down on the floor, and turned to leave the room.

"Bullet for my valentine," Sora said quietly. Kai's eyes widened.

"What?"

"On the t-shirt," the girl replied.

"Oh," Kai said dumbly, breathing out in relief. "Yeah. They're my favourite band."

Sora nodded, her lips twitching in something that might resemble a smile. "Mine too." Then she turned quiet again, her face turning back into the expressionless façade, and Kai once again turned around to leave the room. But Sora's voice stopped him. "Please stay," she whispered, so quietly that he could barely make out the words. But the eyes that looked desperately at him, brimming with tears, and the hand that was half-raised, reaching out for him, told him all he needed to know. With a sigh and a small smile, he sat down on his knees next to the bathtub, taking Sora's hand.

Despite never having had friends – at least not in the 'normal' meaning of the word – sitting there with her was strangely easy. He felt calm, relaxed, almost _happy_, for the first time in as long as he could remember. Every once in a while, he would feel his heart beating a little bit faster, and once, he could even have sworn that he blushed. And even though these feelings were highly unfamiliar to him, they were strangely pleasant.

"Where have you been, Sora?" he asked softly as she got out of the bathtub and started dressing. "You just disappeared. Max's family reported you missing, you know, they've been looking for you all over town. And even I couldn't help but notice that it's all they've talked about at school."

Sora smiled – a little longer and a little more clearly this time – as she pulled the black t-shirt over her head. "That must mean it's really hard to miss, then," she said, without any particular tone in her voice, like she had spoken earlier. But at least she looked a little more present. "I've… been with Tala. Brooklyn was cheating on me with Max, and I just couldn't go back home."

"What did he do to you?"

Sora shook her head lightly. "Oh, it's nothing. Don't… don't worry about it."

"What?" Kai asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

"That's because you don't have anyone to tell," Sora muttered, rolling her eyes. "Whatever, Kai. I really don't want to talk about it."

They stood in silence for a while, neither of them daring to look at the other. Kai wondered what the hell had gotten into him. It wasn't exactly a habit of his to talk to people, and now he was talking to _her_ as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The way he acted around her was so unlike him, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. Being a heartless bastard was all he had ever really had that identified him as a person, and if you took the bastard out of him… then who the hell was he?

"Kai…" Sora's voice was shivering, and she looked sickly pale. "Can I hug you?"

"Sure," Kai replied, hesitantly, and he soon felt thin arms wrap around his neck, Sora's body pressing against his own, her face pressed against his shoulder. Tentatively, he placed his own arms around Sora's back, returning the hug.

From that night, Kai and Sora were almost inseparable. Their relationship was somewhat like the one between Sora and Tala before they both mysteriously disappeared. Of course, no one other than Kai had noticed Tala's absence from school. All they cared about was Max's precious little sister.

Sora had asked Kai to tell anyone that asked that she had been at his place all along, and he had gone along with it without question. He didn't question the fact that Tala had yet to return to school, or that Sora hadn't said a word about him since the night she unexpectedly showed up at Kai's doorstep. And even though he was extremely curious about how Sora knew where he lived – and why she decided to come to his place, for that sake – he didn't question that either. In some sick and twisted way, he was grateful for whatever had happened, because it had led Sora to him.

Returning home obviously had been hard for Sora. Kai would know, since he had been the one to take her there. She had hesitated about telling her parents anything at all, especially the part about Brooklyn and Max. The blonde had gotten a real scolding for dating his sister's boyfriend. Apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Tate had known about Max's relationship to Brooklyn, but they were convinced that he had broken up with Sora before the two of them got together. Kai had found it hard not to laugh at Max's miserable expression. Popular kids had too much drama in their lives.

A lot of people called Max a bastard and talked about how heartless and cruel he was, but when it came to it, they all loved him and looked up to him in the same way as before. So in a lot of ways, nothing had changed at school at all. Except Kai had taken Tala's place as Sora's best friend.

"Sora… That's an unusual name. Japanese, isn't it?"

Sora smirked. "Yeah, my mom was obsessed with Japan. How did you know?"

"_Himitsu_," Kai whispered, blinking slyly. _Secret._

"Hiwatari! Tate!" Mr. Knox yelled at them, making every student in the room direct their eyes to him. "Shut it!"

"Sure, sure." Sora smiled, turning back to Kai. "It means sky, but I suppose you know that already."

"I most certainly do," he smirked. "I know everything."

Sora snorted. "Sure you do."

The bell rang, and all the students grabbed their things, heading for the cafeteria. Sora and Kai spent a little more time on stuffing their things into their bags to avoid the chaos in the hallways. It wasn't like anyone would take their table anyway. The other students seemed to think that it was infected with the freak virus or something.

Minutes after entering the cafeteria, Sora received a text message. Upon reading it, her eyes widened – in what seemed like a strange mixture of horror and relief.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked, trying his hardest to sound uncaring, no matter how worried he was.

"It… it's from Tala…" Sora stuttered, looking emptily at the screen. The phone slipped from her hand, and Kai caught a brief glimpse of the words "I'm sorry", before Sora regained her senses and picked the phone up. "Sorry about that," she mumbled, clearing her throat. "Don't think about that, it's nothing."

Kai nodded, eyeing the black cell phone suspiciously. "You wanna do something tonight?"

"Oh, no…" Sora shook her head, and that odd expression returned to her face. "I'm sorry, I can't. I, um, have something I need to do. Sorry."

Kai cursed his heart for beating faster when their eyes locked, he cursed Sora for being crazy about Brooklyn, and he cursed whatever godly force might exist for making him fall for this girl that was just within his reach, and still, he could never have her. It was like reaching for the sky: he could feel and breathe the air around him, but no matter how high he climbed or how far he reached, he could never touch the sky itself.


	12. Whispers to the Clouds

Hi everyone! Sorry about the long wait between chapters, but I've been really busy lately, what with school and being in the final stages of putting together a band (just need a drummer and somewhere to rehearse) and everything. So please bare with me! This story is one of my top priorities right now, so I'll try my best to finish this story as best I can, and I hope everyone will keep reading!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Sora had always hated hospitals. Ever since that day when she was eleven, and she was taken out of school because her parents and her older brother had been involved in a car accident. Someone had taken her to the hospital, and she'd sat at her mother's side, watching her family die. Hospitals were places where people died, leaving behind children who were sent to orphanages.

And now, she found herself in one of those death chambers, too scared to talk to the receptionist, and too stubborn to go home.

"May I help you?" A young woman in a nurse's uniform smiled at her. "You've been standing here for almost half an hour. Do you need any help?"

"Uh… Well, I…" Sora took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "I'm looking for Tala Ivanov. I heard he was in the hospital, so…" She bit her lip, looking down at her feet.

"Tala Ivanov?" The nurse sounded amused. "Oh, the young redhead that came in a few weeks ago. Come with me, I'll show you to his room. Is he your boyfriend?"

Sora shook her head as she followed the nurse. "No… He's a just a good friend of mine."

The nurse smiled, flipping golden brown hair over her shoulder. "Really? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that has good friends."

"He isn't, either. It's only me."

"In that case, it's nice of you to come visit him." She stopped, flashing a stunning smile at Sora. "Well, here we are. Visiting hours are over in about an hour and a half. Is that okay?"

"Yes… that's quite alright." Sora took a deep breath before pushing the door open and entering the room.

Tala seemed to be asleep. He just lay there, white as snow, in the white sheets in the white room in this white hell, his flaming red hair being the only thing that stood out.

His eyes snapped open when the door slammed shut.

"You're a really fucked up person, you know that?" Sora sighed as she sat down on a chair beside his bed. "You're making it hard for me to care about you."

"I guess." Tala's voice was empty, as was his words.

"I'm serious. What the fuck is wrong with you, Tala? I know you're kind of crushed because of the whole thing with Max, but it can't have messed you up that bad. You're sick."

The redhead smiled weakly. "Don't forget twisted." He let out a sigh, reaching for Sora's hand, but she pulled back. "Look, I had a bad childhood. And I mean really bad. My dad… he was a drug-addict and he used to beat me and my mom all the time. Every fucking day, Sora. When I was a kid – fuck I barely remember it anymore – my mom couldn't take it any longer, and she left. I don't remember what she looked like, or how her voice sounded." He laughed bitterly. "And my dad became even worse. He claimed it was my fault she'd left, that she'd stayed if it weren't for me."

"So you decided to do the same?" Sora raised an eyebrow. "It must have been hard for you, I know, but that's no excuse for being fucked up."

Tala's face became blank again. "I killed him, Sora. When I was ten." His voice was shaking slightly, and he closed his eyes, pressing his lips tightly together, as if to prevent himself from crying. "I fucking killed him! After that, I started thinking that maybe it really was my fault. If I was actually able to kill my own father, why wouldn't there be something about me that made him start hitting me? Why wouldn't there be something about me that made my mother leave me behind to be terrorized by him?"

"You… you killed him?" Sora was worried her eyes might pop out of her head if she kept staring, but she was unable to stop. "You killed your dad…?"

"They just assumed he'd committed suicide." Tala shook his head. "I… I think I called the police or something. At least, they showed up, and his body was taken away while I just sat there and stared at him."

"Why did you kill him?"

"What should I have done? I didn't know I could get help. I was just ten."

Sora swallowed. "You… I… Look, I get why you're so fucked up. But I don't know if I can forgive you. I just came here to find out why you... why you did _that_. And… I also came to apologize. I could have killed you."

"I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't deserve it. I would have deserved to die, Sora. There's nothing to apologize for."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a few moments, during which they both stared intently at anything that was not the other.

"So… why?" Sora finally asked. That strange smile returned to Tala's face, and it made Sora's stomach turn, threatening to throw up her dinner.

"I fell in love with you," came the reply. "I admit, when we first started hanging out, I only wanted to hurt you, to get my revenge on Max, but after I got to know you… I fell for you. And I felt bad because you were so hung up on Brooklyn, so I started drinking more, and suddenly, I found myself doing drugs again, even though I've been trying to stop." He sighed, bringing a hand up to his temple, rubbing it slowly. "When I'm high, I lose control. I knew that, but I thought I could overcome it. I thought the drugs could make me forget how I felt about you, and that if I forgot, I wouldn't do anything stupid. But I was wrong." His blue eyes turned to Sora in an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, S. I really am."

"I thought you were gay," Sora mumbled.

"Bisexual, actually." Tala shrugged. "But with a big preference for guys."

"Tala…" Sora cursed herself for starting to cry, and she angrily wiped the few tears that trailed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, too. About your dad… No wonder you're sick and twisted. I should have known."

Tala shook his head weakly, taking Sora's hand in a gentle grip. "You shouldn't. We've barely ever talked. There was no way you could have known."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Really?" He sounded amused. "You don't really believe I'd like people to know I'm a murderer, do you?"

"I guess not." Sora smiled slightly. "You know, I think this is the most we've ever talked."

"Yeah, I suppose." Tala mimicked Sora's action, giving a sweet, genuine smile. "What have you been up to lately? Have the wannabe-popular dorks been bothering you at school?"

Sora shook her head slightly, giving a small laugh. For some reason, she felt all warm and gooey and cliché-y, and she smiled genuinely in what felt like forever. "No, they haven't. I've been hanging out with Hiwatari, actually."

Tala raised an eyebrow. "Hiwatari? I hope you don't expect me to be around him when I get out of here, because none of us will be able to stand that."

"What? Why?"

"We have this really sick relationship. We used to be best friends, and I fucked that up, the way I have a tendency to fuck up everything." He squeezed Sora's hand slightly, looking adoringly at her. "Don't worry, I'll live. I'll just sit quietly and keep my mouth shut."

"I've missed you, T."

"Are you sure you don't hate me for what I did to you?"

Sora shook her head. "You're my best friend," she said, still smiling slightly. "I don't think I could hate you, even if I tried. Just promise not to go creepy drughead rapist on me again, okay?"

"I promise, S. So we're cool?"

Sora nodded. "We're cool. I gotta go, though. I've got homework."

"Since when are you actually doing your homework?" Tala laughed.

"Since Kai started copying it." Sora laughed slightly. "Sorry, T, but I really do have to go. Besides, I hate hospitals. Reminds me of when my parents died."

"Bye, S."

"Bye, T."

As she was about to close the door behind her, Tala shouted, "You fall in love too easily" after her. She laughed at the tricky smile on his face, and replied with a short "shut up".

Judy picked her up outside the hospital. The blonde woman was smiling, asking an endless amount of questions about Tala. Sora wondered why she cared so much about him. Of course, she must have known him well, considering Tala had been dating her son, but she seemed to care much more for Tala than anyone else did.

"I wish Max hadn't broken up with him," Judy said after many long minutes of silence. "That only drove him much further down. Tala needed Max." She gave a small, sad smile. "One of the two times when I've really despised my son was when he broke up with Tala. The other time was when he got together with Brooklyn."

Sora smiled, leaning her forehead against the car window, looking up at the sky. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"I do." Judy sounded worried. "I suppose you know already, but Tala never really had a mother. During the years he spent with Max, I became a motherly figure for him. I guess the connection worked both ways."

"He was with Max for a long time, wasn't he?" Sora kept her gaze at the sky. The darkening blue color seemed calming to her. Ever since she was little, when she was sad or had problems, she would always look up at the sky. Maybe it was because her mother had named her after it (she had used to say that the sky was the most beautiful thing in the world, second only to Sora), or maybe not. All she knew was that she found it soothing and reassuring, reminding her that there was more to life than just her problems.

"For two whole years. I don't know what Max did to hurt Tala so badly, but I know that he took some serious damage from it. Max hasn't been the same since then, either. They need each other."

"Really? You mean Max hasn't always been a slut?" Any other day, Sora would have regretted those words the second they left her lips. However, she didn't have the energy to worry about anything. She had spent all of her mental strength trying not to break down crying in the hospital.

Judy surprised her by laughing. "No, he hasn't," she said, sounding amused. "I suspect he's trying to replace Tala. But I couldn't know for sure."

Sora had an odd feeling – a slight turning in her stomach – that was making her uncomfortable. Somehow, even though she knew Max was a slut and a bastard, she didn't like hearing Judy talking about him like that. For a brief second, she thought that maybe, just maybe, it was because despite what he had done to her, he was like a brother to her, and she cared about him. Maybe that was also why she could admit that she sometimes hated him, and also the reason why Judy could talk about him like this without feeling guilty about it. Because they were family.

"I'm really becoming a Tate, aren't I?" she mumbled to herself, and Judy gave a friendly laugh, bring one hand down from the steering wheel to rest atop Sora's own hand.

"I believe you are, dear."

Sora's eyes still stared up at the sky, Judy's hand remained over Sora's, and for the first time since her parents died, she felt completely at ease. Like it didn't matter if her life was chaos, because it was bound to get better. She had her family, she had Kai, and she had Tala. In some twisted way, the last one seemed both calming and frightening at the same time. But that was how Tala was. Gentle, friendly, and completely fucked up.

The first stars were already coming out, and normally, Sora would have wanted to reach for them, catch them. But now, she felt content right where she was, just watching them, enjoying their beauty.

* * *

Yay! I'm not going to keep you all for much longer. Just a short comment to tell you to please review. I'd love to hear everyone's opinions on the story so far, so let me know what's good and what could be better, because I plan on re-writing the story sometime in the future. Thanks for reading, and - hopefully - I'll see you in the next chapter!


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